Jodi_620

I am supposed to use a protein shake to supplement my diet when I am not getting 90 grams of protein in my 3 meals, never to replace a meal with the shake. I wasn't doing that in the first two months and I started losing my hair. So now I have one protein shake (35G protein, 160 calories, .5g fat, 1g sugar) in between breakfast and lunch every day. My weight loss has not changed by adding the shake (been doing this for a month now.)

I am always told to wait a week.

What Patchelton said...your body produces the mucus to try and dislodge the stuck food and sometimes when you are really stuck the mucus backs up into your mouth=sliming

Yeah, I know what you all mean. Just those little things that my DH usually does that might normally frustrate me just a little now makes me want to fly into a rage...poor guy has been so understanding. I've not been myself at work and even have had a couple driving rages. I just don't like being this way, I have been downright ugly at times. But being aware of my actions has helped me to try and control myself a little better. Whenever possible a brisk walk when I feel out of sorts helps my mood too. Glad to hear from Heather that it does pass!

Oh my, yes...that is way too long to find the port. Mine doesn't numb but he (both the surgeon and his assistant) gets it in right away. It took ten minutes all together to get my fill today. One poke, drank some Water, water wouldn't go down very well so he took a hair out, I drank the rest of the water and I was out of there. I have never had any issues with them finding the port. Do they have you do anything to make the port easier to find? I weighed in with a six pound weight loss since my last fill. I had actually lost eight but I kept gaining and losing that last two pounds all this week. He verified that the reason for this is that I lost a good amount of weight in the first two weeks and my band got loose just like your belt does when you lose weight. So based on the fact that I felt less restriction for the past two weeks and I was gaining and losing he gave me another fill. It would suck if he refused a fill this month because I lost six pounds early on. How do they determine how much to give you in your fill?

I can not think of any reason for opening this woman up to do a Lap Band surgery and not fixing the hiatal hernia while he is there. Doing it over two surgeries makes no sense, why add to the pain, scars and costs? And I was told and I have read that a hernia needs to be repaired in order to have the Lap Band. We don't know enough about the infection she has but if the infection will not impede her ability to have Lap Band surgery then why not get everything done in one surgery rather than risking two?

My doctor will do a fill if I feel I need one. I was banded 3 1/2 months ago, waited 6 weeks for my first fill and will be getting my fourth within a 2 1/2 month period today. You can only handle so much at a time though. Mine gives me a little fill, haves me drink Water asks me how it feels going down and if I want to try a little more. I keep saying yes until I feel the water gurgling when it goes down. My last fill gave me good restriction but I lost about six pounds and a lot of my restriction in about two weeks. As soon as I saw the last two pounds come back, I rescheduled my fill appointment and will go in to get another today. I prefer to be a little aggressive with my weight loss and my doctor has gone along with that. But you have to be careful with the fills too. I understand your point about having such a long trip to get a fill. I have not needed an unfill after being filled but if I ever do, my surgeon is only five minutes away from my work, 20 minutes from my home. I think your docotor should make sure you have a good fill but if he is too agressive you might not feel it for a while and could end up turning right around and making the long trip again for an unfill. It is not always easy to find that balance especially in the beginning.

I got one, I'll see if I can dig out the instructions by the end of the day. If so, and nobody else responsd by then, I'll scan them and if you PM your email address to me I can email them to you if you like.

Me too and I was banded on May 30th. I am short tempered and snap off all the time most of the time without even realizing how bad I was behaving. DH commented about it and since then I have been working on trying to control myself. It seems just like PMS so I am guessing it may have to do with hormones adjusting to the changes in the body.

Heather's post reminded me of one point that I had forgotten. I was told that the shoulder pain that most people get from Laproscopic Surgery may last a little longer when you have both Hernia and Lap Band surgeries together because you are opened up a little longer.

Your stomach sort of runs across the bottom of your ribs, the top of your stomach is on the left side and the bottom is on your right. Your gallbladder (if you still have one) is on the right side and since your pain is related to eating that may be where your problem is. Rapid weght loss can cause gallbladder disease.

I absolutely would do it all over again. It took me almost 8 months to finally decide to do it. My surgeon said some people know right away some people take a year to decide but you will know when you are ready. Even after I decided to do it I was pretty scared, not only of the surgery itself but of failure. Like you I have tried every diet and was able to lose weight but never able to keep it off. I was afraid that this would just be my biggest failure yet. I think that the surgery would probably work well for you but it doesn't sound like you are quite ready for it just yet. Do a little more research on it and you will know for sure if and when you are ready. We have all been through this stage of learning and deciding. It is a big decision to make and should not be taken lightly. Of course any surgery comes with risks but as weight loss surgery goes, the Lap Band is pretty safe and it is reversible. I am three months and two weeks out and am doing great. It takes commitment but is so much better than trying to do it on your own.

When were you banded Lovingit?

Jelly Belly are gormet jelly Beans, they have so many yummy flavors you need a chart to identify all of them. I agree with tooth brushing followed by mouthwash... gets rid of old doo-doo drawers every time!

I planned not to tell anyone but it just didn't turn out that way. Now pretty much everyone knows and I am fine with it, I have had no adverse reactions. At work, people saw that I was not eating solids and then saw that I was dropping weight and were curious. I am a lousy liar and just felt it was easier to just tell the truth. I don't regret it because number one, the people I work with are pretty mature and understanding. And number two, having those around me know about it gives me some accountability. But it is a personal decision, you know better than we do what type of people you work with. If they are the type that will talk behind your back and judge you then I would think that you wouldn't want them to know anything about your personal life. The same with family and friends. Lovingit, I have to say that your friend was not much of a friend to treat you that way. A better friend would still support you even if she didn't agree with your decision...such a shame that people behave that way.

I have UHC CP. Whether you have weight loss surgery coverage completely depends on your individual policy but if so, with their guideliens you are JUST within the range (.1 to be exact) for the surgery. You have to have a BMI above 40 or 35-40 with comorbities. I had a BMI of 40.2 with no comorbities and was approved in less than a week without needing to provide weight history or do any supervised diets. But again, it depends on your individual policy.

I agree with the others. This was just a minor setback and you can just get right back on track. It may help to plan your meals the night before and keep the irresistable no-no's out of the house. Think more protein with veggies and less carbs.

Welcome Kathio, Only you can figure out for sure whether this is right for your. It takes work and is not for everyone. It is just a tool to help keep you from being hungry and overeating. You still have to watch what you eat, maintain the fills and exercise as much as possible. If you have been successful in losing weight in the past but just couldn't keep it off then the band may be for you. If you have never dieted, are not willing or able to eat less and cut out certain foods then the band will not likely help you. Some people have food/mind issues that can be resolved with the Lap Band and counseling together. Your height and weight are important too. You need to have a BMI over 40 or a BMI of 35-40 with weight related health conditions in order for most insurance companies to cover it. The saggy skin thing depends on the individual and age. It is possible that your skin will not completely snap back. You have to decide whether you can live with that possibility or get plastic surgery to get rid of it. It has been working great for me and many others here but there are some that are not able to make it work for them. You will learn a lot here and feel free to ask specific questions while you reasearch it. Good Luck!

I have seen many people say "I ate solids and felt fine afterwards" Please understand, that is not the point. We are not told to do liquids and mushies to avoid getting sick, or to lose weight we are told so to avoid pulling the stiches. You can pull the stiches and not even feel it right away. If you tear a stitch, your band could slip now or later on down the road and only then would you know that you have caused the damage. Like Jachut said, put it behind you and move on. You can't go back and undo this slip-up but be sure to understand that just because you felt fine afterwards does not mean that you did not do any damage.

You are probably doing great if you are not showing any symptoms at this point. You just should not lift too much for about a month to six weeks. I also had mine repaired during Lap Band surgery (at no extra charge). They found it on my pre-op barium swallow, the surgeon wasn't too sure that it was a hiatal hernia until he was actually in there. Since there are no extra incisions there is no additional surgery pain. They stitch up your diaphgragm where your esophagus passes through it. Your diaphragm is the muscle you use to breathe, belch, throw up, and push waste out of your body. Alot of people have no issues at all after surgery but for some, the diaphragm can be weak for a few days to a week and cause problems with the above functions. In my case, I had problems breathing after moving around even a little bit or after talking for more than a few seconds. I would gasp for breath in these situations and have to sort of pant until I could rest for a while. I also can no longer belch, that was very painful at first because you have so much gas after surgery and I would feel the sensation like I was going to belch then severe pain would move up my esophagus. I still can't burp but it is no longer painful. I also had spasms for about a week after surgery, there was no warning or no apparent cause, it would just suddenly spasm then I would leave out sort of a sob. All in all it was very much worth it.

Welcome Helens, this site is great. So how are things going with your band?

I've never heard of this. It sounds like a pretty big screw-up. Do you know who is responsible for this error?

Actually I don't know him, I just did a quick google on his name; no reason to feel stupid either way. :embaressed_smile:

Is this him? Regional Surgical Associates - Weight Loss Surgery

Your shake is probably high in fiber...until you adjust, fiber can give you a lot of gas. But your body will eventually get accustomed to it. In the meantime, GasX can be your best friend.